The Guatemalan Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the release of former anti-corruption prosecutor Virginia Laparra, who was sentenced in December last year to four years in prison for abuse of authority in a trial criticized by the international community.
The criminal chamber of the court ordered that “the preventive detention of the accused cease,” in a decision confirmed by Laparra’s lawyers.
The ruling took into consideration that Laparra had already served almost half of her jail term as she was imprisoned for 10 months before her sentencing on Dec. 16 last year.
Photo: AFP
The chamber ordered that the court abide by the ruling within five days.
Laparra, 43, was the chief of the Quetzaltenango region of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity when she was arrested in February last year as part of apparent payback for her anti-corruption efforts.
She was convicted for “abuse of authority” and given a commutable term of four years.
Under Guatemalan law, she could pay a fine and see her term reduced — but only once the sentence became final.
Her conviction was criticized by the US, the EU, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations.
Laparra is facing a second trial in Quetzaltenango for alleged disclosure of confidential information, but there is no start date because the prosecution is trying to replace the judge in charge of the case, who granted her house arrest in July.
Despite that order, the former prosecutor remained in prison inside a military barracks in the capital.
Laparra was one of multiple former prosecutors arrested who had investigated corruption cases.
The crusade against them was led by Guatemalan Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who was sanctioned in 2021 by the US, which included her on a list of “corrupt” and “undemocratic” actors in Central America.
Washington accuses the Guatemalan attorney general’s office of “undermining” democracy due to an investigation of alleged illegalities in the August election won by opposition candidate Bernardo Arevalo, 65, and judicial actions against the president-elect.
Porras’ actions are seen as an attempt to prevent Arevalo, who pulled off an upset win on an anti-corruption platform, from assuming power on Jan. 14.
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